Standard 1.1: Participate in or Lead a Collaborative Process Resulting in a Comprehensive Community Health Assessment

PHAB Accreditation
Standard Description

The purpose of the community health assessment is to learn about the community: the health of the population, contributing factors to higher health risks or poorer health outcomes of identified populations, and community resources available to improve the health status. Community health assessments describe the health of the population, identify areas for health improvement, identify contributing factors that impact health outcomes, and identify community assets and resources that can be mobilized to improve population health. Community health assessments are developed at the Tribal, state, and local levels and cover the jurisdiction served by the health department. A community health assessment is a collaborative process of collecting and analyzing data and information for use in educating and mobilizing communities, developing priorities, garnering resources or using resources in different ways, adopting or revising policies, and planning actions to improve the population’s health. The development of a community health assessment involves the systematic collection and analysis of data and information to provide a sound basis for decision-making and action. Community health assessments are conducted in partnership with other organizations and members of the community and include data and information on demographics; socioeconomic characteristics; quality of life; community resources; behavioral factors; the environment (including the built environment); morbidity and mortality; and other social, Tribal, community, or state determinants of health status. The Tribal, state, or local community health assessment will be the basis for development of the Tribal, state, or local community health improvement plan.
Measure Purpose Significance
Measure 1.1.1 S

The purpose of this measure is to assess the state health department’s collaborative process for sharing and analyzing data and information concerning state health, state health challenges, and state resources to develop a state level community health assessment.

The development of a state community health assessment requires partnerships with other organizations in order to access data, provide various perspectives in the analysis of data and determination of contributing factors that impact health outcomes, present data and findings, and share a commitment for using the assessment. Assets and resources in the state must be addressed in the assessment, as well
as health challenges. Data are not limited to traditional public health data but may include information, for example, quality of life, attitudes about health behavior, socioeconomic factors, environmental factors (including the built environment), and social determinants of health. Data are provided from a variety of sources and through various methods of data collection.
Measure 1.1.2 S

The purpose of this measure is to assess the state health department’s comprehensive state level community health assessment of the population of the state.

The state level community health assessment provides a foundation for efforts to improve the health of the population. It is a basis for setting priorities, planning, program development,
funding applications, policy changes, coordination of resources, and new ways to collaboratively use state assets to improve the health of the population. A community health assessment provides the general public and policy leaders with information
on the health of the population and the broad range of factors that impact health on the population level as well as existing assets and resources to address health issues. The health assessment provides the basis for the development of the state health improvement plan.